How to determine functional barrier performance towards mineral oil contaminants from recycled cardboard

•How to test the performance of a functional barrier?•In principle, three experimental set-ups can show functional barrier performance:•Migration experiments,•Permeation experiments and•Lag time experiments.•The study evaluates in detail the above mentioned three functional barrier testing options with pros and cons as well as to give recommendations for the performance testing of mineral oil components through functional barriers.

In recent years migration issues from the cardboard packaging materials into various foods have been reported. Cardboard packaging materials might be contaminated with mineral oil or other contaminants via the fibre recyclate stream. Regarding consumers safety the concentrations of contaminants migrating from recycled fibres into food should be reduced down to levels below of any toxicological concern. At the moment, maximum concentrations of mineral oil components in cardboard packed food were considered to be 2 mg/kg and 0.5 mg/kg for saturated and unsaturated mineral oil components, respectively. But what are efficient barriers towards such mineral oil components and – more important – how to test the performance of a functional barrier? In principle, three experimental set-ups can show the functional barrier performance: (i) migration experiments, (ii) permeation experiments and (iii) lag time experiments. Aim of the study is to evaluate in detail the above mentioned three functional barrier testing options with pros and cons as well as to give recommendations for the performance testing of mineral oil components through functional barriers.